


The story of the Exploration Team "Team Rockin'"

by Zuliko



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Adventure, Bullying, Child Abuse, Developing Relationship, Exploration, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22081129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zuliko/pseuds/Zuliko
Summary: Many Pokémon dream about forming an Exploration Team, helping other Pokémon in need and exploring many different Dungeons. Roxer, a young Toxel, wasn't really one of them. He always thought that he was to weak to become an actual Explorer. But maybe a Scraggy named Setzo changes something inside the mind of the baby Pokémon.
Relationships: Toxtricity/Scrafty
Comments: 8
Kudos: 11





	1. The beginning of a friendship

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends and welcome to the first story I post on this site! I thank you for clicking on this story and I hope you'll enjoy it!

The Explorer School. Many young Pokémon dream of attending this prestigious school to learn everything what they need to know to become an Explorer and eventually form an Exploration Team themselves. But one little Toxel really didn't want to be sent here. He already knew that he was too weak to be there, considering that he was still a baby Pokémon. But his parents insisted. He thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe the other Pokémon wouldn't be that strong either. But that was just wishful thinking. When he was the only one of the class that didn't even get through the first training Dungeon, most of his classmates laughed at him. He had to hold back his tears, because he knew that if he started crying then and there, it would get even worse. But even that didn't stop the bullying that would happen soon.

“Hehe, hey guys, look who is sitting over there! It's our little baby explorer!” During the breaks, the Toxel would sit alone in a corner, hoping no one would notice him. Most of the time it worked, but today some of his classmates, a Machop and his gang, found him. 

“J-just leave me alone! I didn't do anything to you!” Toxel tried to sound intimidating, but that just made the Machop smirk.

“Oh, think you're though, hm? May I remind you that you couldn't even finish the easiest Dungeon of them all?” The fighting Pokémon got closer and waited for an answer, but Toxel just remained silent.

“Got nothing to say? Maybe you want to talk about something you CAN do? Tell us, how does it feel to be a total failure?” The other Pokémon around the Machop started laughing and Toxel had to hold back his tears once again. But suddenly he heard another voice coming from someone.

“How about you stop bullying this Pokémon and go somewhere far away?” Everyone looked in the direction the voice came from, and there they saw a single Scraggy standing around. The Machop smirked and walked towards the other fighting type Pokémon.

“Oh? And what if we aren't going to do that? Do you believe you can beat us up or what?”  
“Nope. But I'm pretty sure that headmaster Floatzel wouldn't be happy to hear that you are bullying someone. Y'know, considering that one of the tasks of an Explorer is HELPING other Pokémon.” Now the smug expression of the Machop changed and he stepped back.

“Tsk, let's leave guys. Looks like this loser has found himself a bodyguard.” With that the gang left and left the two Pokémon alone. The Scraggy looked at the smaller Pokémon.

“You okay?”

“Y-yes, thank you... But... Why did you help me?”

“Hm? Why shouldn't I? It was pretty obvious that you were uncomfortable right now, so I did what everyone should have done.”

“Well... I'm just not used to it...”

“I see. Well, if they annoy you again just come to me. Or just go to the headmaster yourself. Pretty sure that'll teach them. See ya around.” The shedding Pokémon was about to leave, but the Toxel got up and tried to stop him.

“W-wait! Want to be friends?” That made the Scraggy turn around. He looked at the other Pokémon with a rather confused look on his face.

“Friends? We don't know anything about each other. I don't even know your name yet. Why should we be friends?”

“Well, we could get to know each other! And you helped me right now, so I want to be able to help you someday as well!” The Toxel stared hopefully at the Scraggy.

“... Fine. I guess we can spent the breaks together. Just don't get your hopes up. I'm more of a lone wolf.” That didn't stop the poison type Pokémon from grinning brightly.

“Yaay, thank you! Oh, and my name is Roxer! Happy to meet you!”

“... Setzo. Bye now.” He turned around and waved, leaving Roxer alone. He just smiled because he finally did it! He made a friend! Well, not yet, but he will make sure that the Scraggy will become his friend!

The rest of the day went by quickly for Roxer. He usually dreaded the breaks, but on the next day he couldn't wait until the first lessons were over and he could see Setzo again! When the bell rang he immediately got up and ran towards the cafeteria. But when he arrived, he was the only one in there. 

“Guess I was a little too quick...” So he sat down on one of the tables and waited. Several minutes passed and more and more Pokémon entered the cafeteria, but Setzo was nowhere to be seen. Roxer was getting more and more anxious. Maybe Setzo was just joking? Maybe he didn't really want to be friends with Roxer after all! He probably hated him and is now laughing about how dumb-

“Hey there.” The poison Pokémon got startled and saw Setzo sitting across from him. He began smiling and slapped himself mentally for thinking that the other Pokémon would ditch him.

“Ah, h-hi! You scared me a little, haha!”

“Yeah, sorry. You were so deep in thought that you didn't even notice when I got here.”

“No worries! It was my fault for not noticing you!” He laughed awkwardly and then they were silent. That wasn't how Roxer thought this was going to go. He thought about what to say before the silence got too awkward.

“So, uhm... Which class do you belong to?” 

“Well, I guess I'm in your parallel class, considering that we aren't in the same one.”

“Oh, I guess that's right... Too bad that we didn't get put in the same class! Hehe!” 

“I guess so.” This was harder than Roxer imagined. He thought that the other Pokémon would be at least a little more talkative. Once more he thought about what they could talk about, but suddenly Setzo began talking.

“So, why were those Pokémon bullying you yesterday? I didn't hear the entire thing, so I got a little curious about that.” That caught the baby Pokémon off guard. He didn't know if he should tell Setzo about it. He was sure that the other Pokémon wouldn't think any different about him, but there was a chance that he would also laugh at him, just like the his classmates. Setzo noticed that Roxer began to look more and more uncomfortable, so he tried to calm him down.

“I mean, if you don't want to talk about it that's cool. But I probably won't judge you. Unless you were the one that started the bullying, but I doubt that.” The fighting Pokémon smirked and Roxer chuckled quietly. 

“No, that's not it. It's just that... I couldn't even complete the first Dungeon. That's why they all laugh at me...”

“Is that it? That's a stupid reason. You will have so many more chances to finish a Dungeon.”

“B-but... Everyone else did it! Only I was too weak to make it through!” The shedding Pokémon sighed and shook his head. 

“So what? You are saying that as if being strong was the only thing important for an Explorer. There are so many other aspects that make a good Explorer. You can be as strong as you want, but if you lack the ability to work in a team you won't make it very far. And if you don't know which types are good and bad against other types you can also be defeated easily. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea, right?”

“Maybe, but... Strength is important as well, and I lack that. A-and we don't even know if I'm any good at the other things either!”

“But we also don't know if you are bad at them. So we can't say that until we know it. That's why you're in this school, so you can learn about your different strengths and weaknesses.” Roxer thought about that, but Setzo continued almost immediately.

“Also, isn't a Toxel a baby Pokémon? Baby Pokémon are almost always weak, but once you evolve you'll be much stronger, probably even stronger than these stupid Pokémon from yesterday.”

“M-maybe you're right... My parents are pretty strong!”

“Of course I'm right. So don't think you aren't good enough just because you aren't strong yet. And don't listen to the others when they try to put you down, okay?” Roxer smiled happily and nodded quickly.

“Yeah! Thank you! You always know what to say, don't you?” That surprised the bigger Pokémon and made him look at the baby Pokémon.

“Ya think so? I'm just saying what I'm thinking. But if it helps you, I guess it's good.” Suddenly the two heard the bell ringing, which indicated that the break was over.

“Wow, haha! Time flies when I'm talking to you! We didn't even have time to eat anything!”

“You're right. I'm sorry, hopefully that isn't too bad for you?” Roxer quickly shook his head.

“Oh, no no! Don't worry about me! I just hope you will be okay?”

“I'll manage. Well, see ya tomorrow?”

“Of course! I'd love to!”

“Cool, bye.” Setzo left and the baby Pokémon made his way to his classroom, much more motivated than ever. The day went by in a flash and when Roxer came back home, his parents immediately noticed that he was much happier than he usually was when he came back from school.

“Hello sweetie, did something happen at school?”

“Hi mom! Yeah, I think I finally made a friend! He motivated me and I think I will have much more fun now at the school!”

“That's great! I made lunch, want something?”

“Yes, please! I haven't eaten anything yet, haha!”

Several days passed, but today was a very special day for Roxer. He was looking forward towards it the whole week, because today every Pokémon would team up with a Pokémon from their respective parallel class and explore one of the schools training Dungeons. And he and Setzo already agreed to form a team. The poison type Pokémon was a little skeptical at first and told his friend that he should choose someone else that was better than him, but the Scraggy just rolled his eyes and simply said “No”. The smaller boy knew that there was no point in trying to convince his friend, but he would be lying if he said that he wasn't happy that they would be a team. He was sure that they would make an amazing team! He just knew it!

“Okay students! The entrance you see here leads to the Dungeon you will explore today! This Dungeon is quite a bit longer and has more enemies than the ones you've explored already. That's why you all get to choose a partner for this mission. However, sometimes you have to team up with a random Pokémon that isn't even in your team, so that's why you'll have to choose one of the Pokémon from the parallel class! Now then, your mission this time is getting to the end of the Dungeon and to bring back one of the Orbs that we've stored there. The faster you come back with one of the Orbs, the better your grade will be. Anyone got any questions?” Nobody raised their hands, so the Lilligant smiled and nodded.

“Great! Now go and look for a partner and as soon as you have one you may enter the Dungeon!” Their teacher took a seat and the students began looking for a partner. Of course Setzo and Roxer found each other swiftly.

“Hey there. Ya ready?”

“Yep, but are you really sure you don't want someone else that is better than me? I mean, you'll probably get a better grade this way.” The Scraggy rolled his eyes.

“Oh shut up about that, would you? I made up my mind the moment we heard about this mission.”

“Okay, if you're absolutely sure... Then let's do this!” The two nodded at each other and entered the Dungeon.

Roxer was very happy that Setzo was with him, because he was almost certain that he wouldn't be able to get through this Dungeon alone. But he was surprised that they were working together rather well. The baby Pokémon couldn't deal much damage himself, but with his Nuzzle and his Growl attacks he weakened the enemy Pokémon in other ways. The dark type Pokémon on the other hand could deal a lot of damage with his Headbutt and Payback moves. Together they certainly weren't the fastest team, but slowly they made their way towards the end of the Dungeon. 

“You think we're close to the end by now?” Roxer wouldn't admit it, but he's getting a little tired.

“Probably, shouldn't be that much longer... Oh, ya see that? I think that's the door that'll lead to the end.” The shedding Pokémon pointed towards the door and they quickly entered the room. The eyes of the smaller Pokémon gleamed once he saw the room.

“Oh wooow! Look at all these orbs! So many! That must be one hundred, at least!” He looked around and smiled.

“I guess so. I don't think there will be so many teams, but oh well, I suppose the school has their reasons. Let's grab one of them and return.” Roxer looked up when Setzo said those words. He was right, there was no way that there were so many different teams.

“That means...” The poison type Pokémon walked around the room and looked for something.

“Hm? What are you doing? They didn't say we have to bring a specific Orb back.”

“I know, but I think I have an idea. You go grab one of the Orbs and I'll join you soon, okay?”

“Whatever you say, I don't mind.” The Scraggy shrugged, picked one of the Orbs and waited. He really didn't understand what his temporary partner was doing, but he figured that he would have a plan.

“Come on, there has to be one of them... Aha, there we go!” Roxer shouted happily once he found one and quickly went to his friend to show it to him.

“An Escape Orb?” It took him a second to understand, but then the shedding Pokémon grinned brightly.

“Ha, you are a genius! We'll be much faster this way!” 

“Yeah! Hopefully our time will improve a lot now!” They used the Escape Orb and in a second they were back at the entrance. Their teacher got a little startled, but then smiled happily.

“Ah, Setzo and Roxer! Congratulations, you two were the first ones to arrive back here! And that's because you used an Escape Orb, right? Good job! That's exactly why there were so many orbs in that room, so the students that payed attention in the Item class could make use of their knowledge!”

“Haha, you heard that, Setzo?? We were the first! Yaay, I can't believe it!!” The Toxel happily danced around his friend and giggled.

“Yep, and that's mainly because of you. See, I knew you would be a great partner!” That made Roxer blush a little and shake his head.

“N-no, I mean, you also did a lot there! I probably wouldn't even have noticed that we could use one of the orbs if you hadn't pointed out that there aren't enough teams for all the orbs.” Once again the bigger Pokémon rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“If you say so, but you should really learn to take a compliment. You'd be a lot cooler if you did, ya know?”

“R-really? Okay, I'll try to...” Now the Scraggy smiled and patted his friend on the head.

After a while more and more teams made their way back to the entrance, but as soon as the Machop came back he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Roxer made it back before him.

“What? This has to be a joke, right? How did this loser finish before me? He must have cheated! He probably brought an Orb with him and just stayed in there for a while and then went outside again!” Roxer stared at the ground and remained silent, but Setzo angrily looked at the other fighting type Pokémon and stepped towards him.

“Shut up. He finished before you because he is smarter than you. And stop calling him loser or I'll show you what a real loser looks like. Oh wait, I don't have to. You see one every time you look in a mirror.” The Machop became furious and wanted to punch Setzo, but their teacher immediately got in the way.

“Hey hey hey! Stop it, boys! Cley, Roxer was faster than you because he used an Escape Orb to get back here quicker! So no, he did not cheat! And both of you shouldn't insult someone like you did, you hear me?” The Lilligant looked at them both angrily.

“Sure, whatever...” The Machop left them with an angry expression.

“... I was just defending Roxer, isn't that a good thing?” The shedding Pokémon looked at his teacher, and the grass type Pokémon sighed quietly.

“It is, but not when you stoop down to their level. If someone steals something from you, you don't steal something back from them, right? You just get back what belongs to you.”

“I... guess so...”

“Good, as long as you understand and don't do it again, it's fine.” She smiled and went back to see which teams made it back.

“Uhm... T-thank you for defending me... And sorry that you got into trouble because of me...” The baby Pokémon still looked at the ground, thinking that his friend would now be mad at him.

“I didn't get into trouble because of you. I got into trouble because I said something I probably shouldn't have. But he had it coming. Anyway, don't blame yourself for my actions, got it?” The poison type Pokémon simply nodded and smiled slightly.

It took a little while, but eventually all the remaining teams made it back as well. Once the last Pokémon came, the classes were dismissed for the day. Roxer and Setzo left the building together. The Scraggy was ready to wave his friend goodbye, but the smaller Pokémon had another idea.  
“Oh, uhm... actually... I thought we could maybe spent some more time today? I know a great restaurant in Gelass Town! And of course I would pay for us, hehe!” That was the first time that the shedding Pokémon was caught off guard by his friend. He wanted to say yes, but he knew that he shouldn't.

“I... I-i mean... I don't think I s-should...” The Toxel tilted his head and stared at the dark type Pokémon. That was the first time that he heard him stutter. Was his request that unreasonable?

“Uhm... You obviously don't have to go with me if you have something better to do! I'm sure we can do it some other time!” He smiled cheerfully, but that made his friend even more unsure.

“I... No, you know what? Let's do it! I want to, so why shouldn't I?” He spoke confidentially and pulled his purple friend behind him.

“Y-yeah, haha!” Roxer was a little confused by the reaction of his friend, but he was happy that he joined him. If he knew why his friend hesitated at first, he probably wouldn't have asked at all...


	2. A nice day...?

While the two friends were on their way to Gelass Town, Setzo tried his best to push his negative thoughts away for now. He didn't want this stupid thing to always ruin the fun times he could have otherwise. And he especially didn't want Roxer to worry about him. It's his problem, and it's not like his friend could help him anyway. Thankfully the poison type Pokémon seemed to be way to excited to notice anything weird about his friend.

“You are going to love the restaurant! The Oran Berry Pie there is amazing! And the waitress there is very nice! She always gives me discounts and I love talking to her! I even told her about you already! That you helped me and that we're now good friends! Oh, I bet she also wants to hear about our amazing job at the mission today! She'll be so proud!” Roxer smiled brightly when he finished talking.

“That... does sound great, yes.” The dark type Pokémon forced himself to smile. Usually he loved it when someone else does most of the talking, since he wasn't really all that good at holding a conversation himself. But right now it was even harder for him to focus on talking. He just hoped that he could relax a little once they reached the restaurant.

It didn't take them very long to reach their destination. Gelass Town wasn't very far from their school, and while the town itself wasn't very big, it did have everything that a Pokémon could need. Some shops for Berries and some for accessories, a bank, a storage for their items and, of course, the restaurant that Setzo and Roxer were looking for.

“Here we are! You've been here before, right?” Roxer turned to his friend and waited for an answer, ready to show him around if he wasn't familiar with the town.

“Yeah, a few times... Usually when my mother needs some help with her purchases. The restaurant was this way if I remember correctly?” He saw the smaller Pokémon nodding and smiling.

“Yep yep! Come on, let's race there!” Roxer ran ahead. Setzo smiled slightly before following his friend. Once he got there he watched as the electric type Pokémon cheered because he won the race.

“Yaay, I won! Haha! But don't worry, I bet next time you'll beat me!” Together they entered the restaurant and they were immediately greeted by the overwhelming scent of different flavored pies. A moment later they heard a female voice shouting “One second please” from somewhere in the back, so the two sat down on one of the tables and waited for the waitress. Soon they heard footsteps coming their way and a Indeedee was on her way to their table.

“Ahh, it's my favorite little customer, Roxer! Oh, and I suppose this Scraggy has to be your friend Setzo, right? It's a pleasure to meet you! Roxer has already told me so much about you!” Setzo was getting a little embarrassed. She was indeed very nice, but it was a little weird for him that she apparently already knew so much about him, even though they just met.

“It's nice to meet you as well, ma'am.” This made the Indeedee chuckle.

“Ma'am, huh? I can't remember the last time I was called that. No no no, that won't do. Just call me Miss Indeedee, okay? That's much more appropriate.”

“Okay, if you want to.”

“Great, now then, what can I get you two? I assume you'll get the same as usual, right Roxer?”

“Yep, but two pieces today! I'm sure Setzo will also love the Oran Berry Pie!” The baby Pokémon flashed a big smile towards his friend, who smiled back a little. The Indeedee nodded.

“Of course! Two pieces of Oran Berry Pie, coming right up!” She bowed down and then went back behind the counter.

“See, she's nice, isn't she?” 

“Yes, she is...” The fighting type Pokémon just looked down at the table, which made his friend worried.

“Is everything alright? You seem a little off every since I've asked you if you wanted to come here with me. D-did I do something wrong? I'm sorry if I did!” Now the Scraggy looked up and immediately shook his head. He cursed himself for making his friend worry about him.

“No no! You did absolutely nothing wrong. It's just... I'm a little tired... So maybe that's why I'm a little off right now.” Setzo didn't like lying, and he especially didn't like lying to a friend, but he thought that it was a much better alternative than getting him involved with his personal problems. Thankfully it seemed like Roxer believed him, since he appeared to be relieved.

“Ah, I see! Well, I did offer that we could have done it another day! But I guess you didn't want to disappoint me, huh?” The baby Pokémon smiled brightly and Setzo chuckled quietly.

“Yeah, I guess you could say it like that...” He was glad that the Indeedee came back with their pie shortly after that. He quickly began eating to avoid talking more about this topic, but he was surprised how delicious this pie was. The different flavors of the Oran Berries combined with the ingredients in the pie made it taste very good.

“Wow, this is amazing! You really didn't exaggerate when you talked about how good this pie tastes!” He stopped for a moment to tell his friend that, and then continued eating.

“Hehe, of course I didn't! This place is the best!” Roxer smiled, happy that Setzo also likes the food in the restaurant. Once they were finished, Roxer paid for their pies and the two friends waved the Indeedee goodbye. They left the restaurant and the poison type Pokémon turned to his buddy and smiled.

“That was nice! But I bet you want to go home now, right?”

“I mean, I don't really want to, but... I think I should... I mean, I'm pretty tired by now.” He faked a smile and hoped that his friend would understand. Fortunately Roxer nodded and grinned.

“Okay, that's fine! I'm really happy that you choose to come with me, even though you are tired! I had a lot of fun today, thanks to you!” That made the shedding Pokémon smile. Since he agreed to come with Roxer, he had doubts about whether or not that was the right choice. But seeing him smile like that and being genuinely happy made him sure that he did the right thing.

“I had fun as well. Thanks for inviting me.”

“No problem! We should definitely do it again when you aren't tired though! I bet we'll have even more fun then!”

“Yeah... I... guess we should... But, I think I'll go now... See you tomorrow...” Setzo waved and once his friend was out of view, he sighed loudly and began to quickly walk towards his house. He really had fun today, but he dreaded what was about to happen when he got home. He tried to calm himself. Maybe his father wouldn't be home at all. Or maybe his father would be asleep already. But of course, all this was just wishful thinking, because when he got close to his house, he already heard the loud voice of his father. The shedding Pokémon took a deep breath before entering his house. His father immediately looked in his direction and walked towards him.

“Well well well... Look who it is. Didn't I tell you that you come home immediately when the school ends? So, tell me. Where have you been, mister?” Judging by the smell of his breath, it was obvious to Setzo that his father has been drinking again. He remained silent and just looked at the floor. This made his father even more furious. He punched the wall next to Setzo, the dull sound of the punch made the Scraggy wince.

“I know you heard me. Speak up! NOW!”

“I was just at school... It was just a little longer today... That's why I came back later...” Setzo was pretty sure that his father would see through his lie, but no matter what he said, it was obvious to him that he wouldn't leave him alone.

“Oh, come on. We both know that that's bullshit. And you know how much I hate being lied to! Maybe this will help you speak the truth.” The Scrafty raised his hand, ready to slap his son. Setzo closed his eyes, ready for what was coming. But to his surprise there was no pain. He slowly opened his eyes and saw his mother standing in front of him. She held the arm of his father and tried to calm him down.

“Honey, please! I'm sure he didn't mean to!” The male Scrafty looked angrily at his wife.

“Get out of my way! He broke the rules, so he has to suffer the consequences! That's how it goes!” Setzo's mother quickly turned her head around and smiled weakly.

“Setzo, dear, please go upstairs!” The Scraggy was wide eyed and slowly shook his head.

“Mom... You don't have to-”

“Please, now!” Reluctantly the boy agreed and swiftly went upstairs into his room, but not before hearing the familiar slapping sound. Once he entered his room, he immediately lay down in his bed. If this was the first time that this happened, he definitely would have cried now. Even if it was the second or third time he would have cried. He hates to admit it, but he is getting used to it. He can't even cry anymore when it happens. The only thing he can do is curse himself for being so selfish and getting his mother hurt this way. If he just didn't agree to spent time after school with Roxer, none of this would have happened. He should have just continued being the lone wolf. But it's not too late for that. It hurts him, because he really liked his new friend, but it's for the better if he doesn't hang out with him anymore. This way he will not be tempted to go with him if he offered to do something after school again.  
He sighed loudly and closed his eyes. He really hoped that this time things would have worked out. But life isn't that easy. At least not for him...

Roxer should be happy. The days following the mission he completed with Setzo were really good for the baby Pokémon. Most of his classmates were a lot nicer towards him and some Pokémon even came to him and asked him for help with the Item classes. All that was great, but something negative happened as well. And this one negative thing outweighed all the positive things. For some reason, it felt like Setzo avoided him. Ever since that day they went to the restaurant together, he has not seen his friend again. Not in the cafeteria, not on the schoolyard, and nowhere else. It made Roxer really sad, because he didn't know why the dark type Pokémon was avoiding him. But today was the day he would find out why! He asked one of the Pokémon that is in Setzo's class how many lessons they had today, and luckily Roxer's class has fewer. So he would simply wait in front of their classroom until their lesson was over and then he would finally get a chance to talk to his friend again!

The wait was long and especially boring, but the more time passed, the more anxious Roxer became. What if Setzo would just go away? If he really was avoiding him, why should he suddenly talk to him again just because he was sitting in front of his classroom? He'll probably just laugh at him and then go away!

The loud and annoying ringing of the bell tore him out of his thoughts. He instantly jumped up and waited for his friend to come out of the room. Setzo was one of the last students to leave, but eventually he came out as well. Once he saw that Roxer was waiting for him, he looked at the ground and began talking.

“Oh... Hey. You... waited for me?” His voice was pretty quiet.

“Yeah! I wanted to talk to you, and it seemed like you were avoiding me. So I thought that this was the best opportunity to catch you!”

“I see...”

“Well, anyway... Why ARE you avoiding me, anyway? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it's not like that! It's just... I... I'm having some problems in the Item class, so I used almost all of my time to learn for this test that is coming up!” The bigger boy tried to sound as convincing as he could be, but the other Pokémon just shook his head.

“I'm sorry to say this, but you are a terrible liar.”

“Huh, what do you mean? I didn't lie, that's the truth!”

“Oh really? Then why did one of your classmates ask me to help him study for a test in the Item class a few days ago? He told me that you guys wrote the test two days ago!” Setzo kept looking at the ground and remained silent, so Roxer continued.

“You know, if you don't want to be friends with me anymore, you can just tell me. I'll understand.”

“But that's not it! Really! I want to be friends! But... It's just... That it's probably not a good idea...”

“Why though? If it's because of something I did or said, I'm sorry!” A little smile crept across his face.

“Heh, you like apologizing just as much as you always did, huh? But no, it's nothing you did. Believe me. It's my problem and I'd like it to stay that way. Now if you'd excuse me, I should get going now.” The Scraggy tried to go away, but Roxer grabbed his arm, preventing him from leaving.

“No, wait! If it's a problem, I want to help! Remember when you helped me with those bullies? If you have a problem now, I could finally make it up to you! And then we could be friends again, right? So please let me help!” The voice of the poison type Pokémon sounded desperate, which made the other boy sigh.

“This isn't about a stupid bully though. This is much more serious. And believe me, you'd not be able to help me.”

“Well... even so, the least you could do is tell me what the problem is! Or else I wouldn't even know why we aren't friends anymore...” Now Setzo was getting angry. He tore his arm free and got closer to Roxer, looking directly into the eyes.

“You want to know what my problem is? My problem is that my father is beating me and my mother up! Every time we don't do exactly what he tells us to do! Or sometimes even just out of fun! Remember when we went to that restaurant? After I got home, my mother had to protect me from him because I didn't come back home immediately! That's why I didn't accept your offer instantly! Because I freaking knew something like that would happen! But I still did it! Just because I wanted to have some fun! My mother got hurt because of my selfish bullshit!!” He didn't notice it, but he was close to yelling at the end of his rant. Once Setzo calmed down a little, he saw that small tears formed in the corner of Roxers eyes. Now he felt like even more scum. Not only did he avoid his friend without telling him why, he even yelled at him even though this wasn't his fault at all.

“I-I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me... I shouldn't have yelled at you! God, why am I so stupid? Please forgive me, I was just-” The shedding Pokémon got interrupted by the smaller boy.

“Ha, look! Now you are the one apologizing!” This surprised the other Pokémon, but the Toxel managed to smile a little. He then continued to talk.

“Thank you for telling me that. I probably wouldn't have been satisfied until you've told me about this. But... maybe we can think about a solution for your father together!”

“I don't think so. What should we do against him?”

“Well, we could tell headmaster Floatzel about him! I'm sure he could do something about it!”

“Don't you think I've tried something like that already? In the end, it comes down to my testimony against the testimony of my father and my mother, because for whatever reason she still defends him. Maybe it's fear, maybe it's still love, I don't know, but in the end they believe him over me...”

“Then... We need a plan!”

“A... plan? What are you talking about?”

“A plan so your father gets caught while he is violent against you or your mother! You know, now I'm even more happy that you told me, because now I think I can repay you after all!”

The Scraggy looked at his friend. He didn't know what the smaller Pokémon was planning, but whatever it was, he would try it. If it worked, maybe his life would get a little bit better...


	3. Carrying out the plan

“So you suggest that we'll ask headmaster Floatzel to come with us to my house, so he gets to see that my father abuses me?” Setzo repeated the plan his friend came up with, just to make sure he understood it correctly.

“Yes! It's perfect! You said that your father gets mad at you when you come home late, and because we were talking for quite a while now, you'll totally won't make it in time! If headmaster Floatzel sees it, I'm sure he'll do something about it!” Roxer smiled happily. He was proud of the plan he came up with.

“It's... definitely worth a try. Let's just hope that the headmaster agrees to following us.”

“Oh, I'm sure he will when we explain the situation to him! Come on, let's go!” With excitement in his voice, the baby Pokémon began to run towards the headmasters room. But he quickly realized that his friend wasn't following him. Instead the dark type Pokémon stood still, staring at the floor.

“Uhm... Is everything alright, Set? You don't need to worry! I'm sure it's going to be okay!” Roxer tried to cheer his friend up, but he simply shook his head.

“No, that's not it. I just... wanted to thank you. I really didn't want anyone else getting involved in this, because it was my own problem and I didn't think anyone would be able to help me. But now I'm happy that I told you. Because... I'm also sure that this will work. So... thank you, I appreciate your help.” The shedding Pokémon smiled warmly, which in turn also made the other Pokémon grin brightly.

“Aww, no need to thank me! I'm glad that I'm able to help you! Especially after you've done the same for me already. But I think you should try to ask others for help a little more. Some things are much easier when you have someone that can support you. And when you form an Exploration Team it's even more important!”

“I guess so... No, you're right. Sometimes it's best to ask for help if you don't know what to do. Even if you think that nobody will be able to do anything for you.”

“Exactly! Now then, ready to ask the headmaster now?”

“Yes, let's do this.”

Together they went to the office of the headmaster of the school. Roxer knocked on the door and after a moment, they heard a “come in” from the other side of the door. They didn't hesitate and went inside. The Floatzel was sitting on his desk, going through some paperwork. He briefly looked up to see who entered and then continued to focus on his work.

“Hello students. What can I do for you?”

“Hi mister Floatzel! Uhm, now, this may sound a little weird, but we need your help. My friend Setzo has a big problem! His father abuses him and his mother, even though he does nothing wrong!” That made the water type Pokémon look up.

“What? I hope that this isn't some kind of prank! Because this isn't something you should joke about!”

“We're not joking. Obviously...” The Scraggy looked at the ground, a little bit hurt that their headmaster would even think something like that.

“Well, if you're really telling the truth, then that is a big problem. No student of mine should go through something like this!”

“Yep, his father punches him even for the worst reasons, like coming home to late! But at least this way we can catch him in the act! You just have to come with us to see it for yourself, so that we have another witness!”

“Hm, I see. Alright, then lead the way and I'll follow you two.” Roxer nodded happily and began to run outside, only to stop at the entrance of the school because he realized that he himself didn't even know where his friend was living.

It took the trio a while to reach Setzos house, because it was pretty secluded from Gelass Town and the school. But once they were finally close, Setzo stopped and turned around to them.

“Okay, I thought we'll do it like this: I'll go first and enter my home, but I'll leave the door a little bit open. Then, after I've entered, you come closer as well. I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to hear my father yelling this way. This should hopefully be the evidence we need to proof his abuse towards me and my mother. Sound good?” The Scraggy looked at the other two Pokémon and waited for a response.

“Yes, that'll definitely work! Let's do this!” Cheerfully the poison type Pokémon nodded.

“But when should I intervene?” 

“Whenever you feel like you've heard enough. But maybe before he actually starts hitting me, that would be nice.” 

“Very well, I'll try to do that.” Setzo wasn't really satisfied with a 'try to' from his headmaster, but he still agreed. He inhaled deeply and made his way to his house. He entered, but made sure to leave the door just a tiny bit open, hoping that his father wouldn't notice. Soon he heard the familiar loud footsteps heading his way.

“Well well well, look who it is coming home late once again. Thinkin' just because your stupid mother protected you last time that you can jus' do whatever the hell you want now, hm?” His father sounded even more angry than usual. Normally Setzo would remain mostly quiet during his fathers rants, but this time he thought that maybe it would be better to provoke him even further.

“No, I think you've mistaken something. Mom isn't the one that's stupid, it's you.” That took the Scrafty by surprise. He never would have thought that his son would talk back to him like that. He smirked and got closer to him.

“Oh, think you're tough or something? Just because you go to that dumb school for Explorers? Guess I'll have to punch some sense back into ya!” But before Setzos father could even lift his arm up, headmaster Floatzel opened the door and revealed himself.

“Not another move, mister! I've heard enough and you are coming with me. I don't understand how you can treat your own child like this, but it'll end here.” The Scrafty looked at the water type Pokémon with a confused expression.

“Who the hell do you think you are? Coming into MY house and thinking you can give me orders? I'll show you what I do to people like you!” The hoodlum Pokémon charged at the Floatzel, but he simply dodged the attack, grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back, rendering the Scrafty useless.

“I'm the headmaster of this 'dumb school for Explorers', and for a good reason, too.” The fighting type Pokémon tried to struggle, but to no avail. It was obvious that the Floatzel had much more experience when it came to fights. The Scrafty got pushed out of his house and towards Gelass Town, where he would have to explain himself in court.

Setzo couldn't believe it. Was the terror finally over? Would he not have to worry about his father all the time anymore? Maybe he can now live his life how he wants to. He looked towards his headmaster and his father, and soon enough, they were out of his view. Roxer jumped in front of him as soon as he didn't see the other two Pokémon anymore.

“Haha, yaay! We did it! See, I told you that I can help you! Well, I guess it wasn't really me, but still, now everything's good again, right?” Setzo nodded happily.

“Yes, it should be. And no, it was you. Without you, I wouldn't have asked anyone for help, and then my father would still be able to hurt me and my mother. So, thank you. I know I've said that already, but I really mean it.”

“You really don't need to thank me! I'm just glad that I was able to help and that we can hang out together again! It was kinda boring without you!” The shedding Pokémon chuckled quietly before turning around, hearing his mother approaching them.

“Setzo? What was all that noise about? And who is this Toxel? Is it one of your friends? You know that your father doesn't allow visitors here!” She looked around, hoping not the see her husband right now.

“It's okay, mom! My friend and I came up with a plan so that other Pokémon would finally see how father treated us. And it worked. Now we don't have to worry about him anymore.” The little Pokémon smiled, but his mother had a conflicted expression on her face.

“You did what? But I...” She remained silent, looking like she was pondering about something really hard.

“Mom, you couldn't have possibly still loved him, right? Don't you remember all the times he hit me? He hit.. you? He didn't love us anymore, everything he did was for himself. He was an absolute control freak.” He looked at his mother, hoping that he would be able to convince her that they did the right thing.

“I... You're right... It's just that, he used to be such a nice guy, a real gentleman... But suddenly, out of nowhere, he began drinking so much alcohol, yelling at me and you, and eventually tried to control everything that happened in this household... And if we did anything wrong in his eyes he would hurt us. I guess I just hoped that things would go back to how they were... that we all could be a real family again...”

“Sometimes Pokémon change, and not for the better. I don't think that he would have changed again, so I think it was for the better. For the both of us.” His mother smiled at him and hugged him tightly.

“Yes, I agree. I'm so, so sorry that you had to got through all of this. It should have been my responsibility to get him out of this house, but instead you kids had to come up with something. Please forgive me.” 

“Don't worry mom, I'm not mad or anything. I'm just glad it's over now.” They remained in that position for a little while, before the female Scrafty released her son and now looked at the other Pokémon in the room.

“Now, I don't think you've introduced me to your friend yet. Who are you?”

“Oh, hi! I'm Roxer! And I helped carry out this plan, hehe! It's nice to meet you!” The Toxel grinned brightly.

“Well, it's a pleasure to meet you too, Roxer! I have to thank you as well for helping Setzo and me. I know, how about I'll cook you boys something? I think you've earned it!”

“Oh, yes! That would be great! I'm actually starving, haha!” Roxer quickly followed her into the kitchen. Setzo on the other hand remained still for a moment, just smiling. His father may have been cruel to him, but he was glad that there were Pokémon like Roxer and his mother in his life. He then followed them, helping his mother prepare their meal.

The following weeks were some of the best weeks in Setzos life. He could finally do stuff that he wanted to do without thinking about the consequences. He spent much more time with Roxer outside of school, he explored some places near his house and he finally got to do stuff with his mother again. He was all around really happy. Today, he and his friend were sitting in Roxers room, learning some of the type matchups for an upcoming test.

“Man, some of this stuff is wacky! Like, why are fairies completely immune to the attacks of dragons? And why isn't ice super effective against water? Shouldn't it, like, freeze them immediately? And how come that normal attacks aren't super effective against anything? I mean, it's easy to remember, but seems kinda unfair for the poor normal types!” The poison type Pokémon looked at the chart in front of him and tried to remember as much as he could, but he couldn't stop commenting on some of this stuff.

“Beats me. I think it's best not to think too hard about some of this stuff. That's just how nature is, I guess.” The Scraggy shrugged, repeating some of the matchups in his head.

“I knoooow, but it would be much easier to remember all of this stuff if it made more sense!” 

“Yeah, I wouldn't complain either if it was a little more easy to remember it all, but it's not like we can do anything about it.”

“I guess... But let's take a small break, okay? I think I need it!”

“Okay, if you want to.” Setzo smiled, secretly happy to take a break himself. They put their charts away for now and looked at each other.

“Can you believe that were almost halfway done with school? The time really just flew by since I've got to know you, hehe! But, don't you think that only one year in the Explorer School is a little short? There is so much to learn about being an Explorer, so maybe it should be a tad longer?” Roxer looked at his friend with a questioning look on his face.

“Maybe a little? But to be fair, the school is basically just there for you to learn the basics of being an Explorer, and to see if this life is something for you. Most of the things that an Explorer does are learned in practice, not theoretically. Also, it's not like you immediately have to join a guild when you're done with the school. If you feel like you need a little more training before you become a real Explorer, then you can always join a guild at a later point. Why are you asking? Do you think it's too short?”

“Well, I wouldn't really know, since I don't want to become an Explorer when we're done with school.” That earned the smaller Pokémon a confused glance from his friend.

“Oh, I guess I've never told you that, huh? Yeah, I only joined the school because my parents insisted that I at least try it, probably hoping that I'll like it. They were Explorers as well before they settled down to raise me! But I don't know, I can't really see myself becoming one... I think I want to do something else in my life! I don't know exactly what I want to do yet, but I think it's something different!” 

“Oh... I see... That's cool...” Roxer immediately noticed the different tone in the voice of his friend.

“Huh, what's up? Why are you sad?”

“What? I'm not sad.”

“Hehe, come on! You should know that I know you better than that! It's rare that you become sad around me, but whenever you do, the tone of your voice changes, just like it did now! So, just tell me!”

“You notice such small details? You must be a great observer.” The Scraggy smiled slightly before sighing quietly.

“Well, it's just that I... thought that we would be forming an Exploration Team when we're done with school. But if you want to do something else, that's fine! I'm in no position to tell you what to do.”

“Oh... I see... I-I mean, I DO have fun exploring Dungeons when you're with me! And I do enjoy helping other Pokémon! So maybe I'll think this through once more!” The Toxel smiled nervously, but his friend wasn't satisfied with his answer.

“Stop it. It's obvious you're only saying that to make me feel better. If you don't want to be an Explorer then that's cool. I wouldn't be any better than my father if I forced you to do stuff you don't want to do. So don't think that you have to become an Explorer now just because I had a stupid idea.”

“B-but it isn't a stupid idea! And I really didn't say that just to make you feel better! I mean, yes... I do think that other things could be fun as well. But the thing is that I didn't think you would want me as a partner... That's the main reason why I didn't even think about becoming an Explorer! Because I thought that I had to form a team on my own. That wouldn't be fun at all!” Setzo looked at the smaller boy, trying to figure out if he really was telling the truth or if he was just saying that to make him feel better.

“... And you're sure that you're being sincere right now?” Roxer nodded hastily, to which Setzo only sighed.

“Why would you even think that I wouldn't want you as my partner? We did work together well enough that one time, right? Also, we're good friends, no? I don't see a single reason why I wouldn't want you as my partner.”

“Well... There are Pokémon that are much stronger than me and-” He tried to continue, but got cut off by the fighting type Pokémon.

“You're still going on about this? I thought we went over this already. Yes, you may not be the strongest Pokémon right now, but that can easily change once you evolve. Also, even if you aren't that strong, you still got other good qualities. You're kind and like to help others. And you're not half bad in the subjects that aren't focused around clearing a dungeon alone. So don't think that I wouldn't want you as a partner.” That brought a big smile on Roxers face.

“Aww, you're so nice to me! Well, I'll definitely think about it once more! No promises though, maybe I'll find something that's even cooler, hehe!”

“Sure, I can live with that. Just... tell me when you've decided.”

“Gotcha!” They now wanted to continue studying for their test, but Roxers mother came in and interrupted them.

“Hey boys! Sorry to disrupt your learning, but I think it's time for Setzo to go home now. It's getting late.”

“Aww, looks like we've talked too long, eh Set? Oh well, let's continue tomorrow, okay?” He smiled at his friend, who nodded back to him.

“Sure. Thanks for having me, Ma'am.” The Toxtricity shook her head and chuckled.

“How many times have I told you that you can call me Tesa? Actually, I'd even prefer it if you called me that instead of Ma'am.”

“Yeah, I know. I just feel a little bit awkward to call an adult by their first name. But I'll try to remember it from now on. Well, see you tomorrow. Bye.” Setzo left the room, leaving Roxer and his mother alone.

“He's a nice kid. I'm glad that you've made friends with him!”

“Yeah, I agree! Set is simply the best, hehe!”


End file.
